From one point on Earth to another, it’s hard to imagine a more environmentally friendly way than running. During a run, no petroleum is consumed, no bicycle tires are worn out, no electricity is used, and in some places, you don’t even need shoes. But the reality isn’t always so green. When 21,250 running enthusiasts took part in the 36th annual National Veterans Marathon held not long ago in Washington, D.C., people were surprised to discover just how much waste this 41.92-kilometer race could generate: countless paper cups, plastic bottles, plastic bags, cold packs, blankets, printed brochures, and specially printed T-shirts for every volunteer and participant. All of these consume resources and quickly turn into trash, putting unimaginable pressure on the environment.
But compared to other large marathons, the National Veterans Marathon isn’t even the biggest. The “Mother of All Marathons” in New York easily attracts over 47,000 participants annually—and the number keeps growing. Organizers even plan to hold a second race the next day, aiming to draw nearly 100,000 runners. This means tens of tons of waste will be left after the two-day event. Japan’s largest marathon, with over 50,000 participants, uses nearly 700,000 paper cups and requires 18,000 volunteers. The trash and carbon dioxide produced by everyone at the event equals that generated by 300,000 people in a single day.
The environmental impact of large marathons is multifaceted. It’s not just about the waste produced—it also involves how we get to the event, how many people use various modes of transportation, and how much greenhouse gas is emitted as a result. It includes how the products we use are made, and what happens to them after runners receive their medals and everyone goes home happy. Many marathons are like large festivals, with organizers offering a wide range of souvenirs: T-shirts, paper bags, towels, keychains, and even special edition wines. How much of this ends up as waste, and what is the annual recycling rate? Runners and spectators along the route generate large amounts of discarded food like banana peels and cookies, which produce methane—a highly potent greenhouse gas. How is this managed? Do the portable toilets set up along the course use toxic chemical cleaners? And how much carbon dioxide do all the runners generate while running? All of this raises the question: Can marathons ever be green events?
The awkward reality is that running for health adds an extra burden on the environment. The good news is that more and more major marathons have become aware of this issue and are working to reduce their environmental footprint. For example, using eco-friendly materials for paper cups, uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles, solar panels or other green energy sources for power, reducing the number of printed brochures, and using eco-friendly vehicles to guide elite runners… However, scholars and environmentalists believe these efforts are still not enough, as a single race still results in astonishing waste.
The U.S.-based environmental organization “Council for Responsible Sport” aims to encourage major events to become more sustainable. This group has established detailed sustainability scoring criteria for large events, and only those that meet basic scores can receive a green certification. The criteria consider 41 factors across eight categories: Waste (requiring less than 2 pounds of waste per participant), Climate and Energy, Procurement and Sourcing, Community Impact, Community Involvement, HealthStyle (promoting health), Inclusion (encouraging participation), and Innovation. Events are evaluated for sustainability using standardized measures, and certifications are tiered. Events meeting 22 criteria receive a “Basic Green Certificate,” those meeting 38 or more receive an “Evergreen Advanced Certificate,” and the top three awards—gold, silver, and bronze—are also given.
The Council for Responsible Sport offers many sustainability recommendations for large events, such as reducing promotional flyers in goodie bags, using online registration to cut paper waste, distributing fewer plastic bags, and encouraging participants and spectators to use public transportation to reach the start line. Additionally, the organization examines whether organizers engage deeply with the community, donate a portion of event proceeds to local communities, and accommodate female, minority, and disabled participants.
Among the most well-known and largest events, the National Veterans Marathon received a silver-level green certificate from 2009 to 2010, the Chicago Marathon received certification in 2010 and 2011, but the Boston Marathon and New York’s “Mother of All Marathons” have yet to be certified. In 2011, the gold award went to California’s Big Sur Marathon. That year, the event achieved a 96.52% waste sorting rate—an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year. Leftover food was sold to nearby wineries as compost for grape cultivation, resulting in almost no waste. Half of the finish line’s electricity was generated by stationary bikes pedaled by enthusiastic runners and volunteers. Tents, fences, and trash bins at the event were borrowed from other local organizations, avoiding the need for additional purchases. Even the medals were changed from metal to ceramic, designed by local artists.
Organizing an environmentally friendly large-scale event requires more logistical planning and support than traditional events. Some races have now established dedicated “green teams” to sort through the large amounts of banana peels and paper cups left behind. “Eco-Logistics” is a consulting firm specializing in providing environmental logistics advice for sporting events. Its founder, Keith, author of “Green Running: A Management Guide for Racing on the Road,” says that focusing solely on waste disposal can be misleading. While trash is the most visible form of pollution at races, much of it can be recycled. For example, paper cups can be 100% recycled if sent to the right facilities. With proper sorting, many other items—like blankets, timing chips, and even DuPont dust masks—can also be reused. The bigger challenge is persuading organizers to reduce giveaways like T-shirts and medals. These items may be “sacrosanct.” If marathons are among the most commercially successful events, T-shirts have played a key role in that success. And who doesn’t want a medal? Consider using recycled materials for T-shirts, and if participants want medals, charge them appropriately.
Environmental efforts require support from runners. If participants demand greener events, organizers will move in that direction. Currently, runners aren’t yet at the stage where they choose races based on their sustainability practices—but they should start becoming aware of this and make races more meaningful.
Links
People: Born to Run Marathons
Humans aren’t actually built for sprinting. But we excel at endurance running. The average person can run 1.6 kilometers in 7.5 minutes, while elite male marathoners can maintain a pace of 1.6 kilometers every 5 minutes for two hours. A quadruped animal similar in size to humans, weighing around 150 pounds, typically takes 9.5 minutes to cover 1.6 kilometers—and needs several breaks. A human’s jogging pace is comparable to that of a 1,000-pound horse.
In the animal kingdom, few species are adapted for sustained jogging. Besides humans, this includes wolves, dogs, hyenas, bison, and horses. Among primates, we’re the only standout. Is it because we walk upright that we’re good at jogging? Did endurance running provide a major evolutionary advantage in early human development? Scientists are studying these questions. Many human traits do favor running—like long legs that increase stride length—but walking and running are fundamentally different. Walking relies on gravity like a swinging pendulum, requiring little effort. Running, however, engages more muscles and tendons, storing and releasing energy like springs. It also demands greater stability, especially in the torso.
Studies of Homo sapiens anatomy reveal large muscle masses connecting the hips to the base of the spine. But fossil studies of apes show far fewer muscles in the same area. Put a gorilla in pants, and you’ll see how ridiculous it looks—their hip muscles are similarly limited. These large hip muscles not only make pants look better but also stabilize the hips during running, releasing energy more efficiently. However, these muscles aren’t used when walking on flat ground.
Compared to the torso, gorillas have exceptional stability above the shoulders, with strong muscles connecting the spine and head. Humans, however, have far fewer and weaker muscles in this area—for a reason. When we walk, our shoulders don’t move much, but when we run, the relatively loose connection between the shoulders and head allows them to swing powerfully and effortlessly in the opposite direction of the hips. This counterbalance helps maintain stability. Additionally, with only the trapezius muscle connecting the shoulders to the head, we can swing our upper bodies without moving our heads excessively, avoiding dizziness and keeping our eyes forward. Even so, head movement during running is greater than while walking—but humans have evolved several “anti-shake” features that apes lack.
First, we have semicircular canals in the inner ear. These three canals signal the brain to minimize movement, maintaining the correct upright position and preventing excessive nodding. A highly elastic tendon runs from the base of the skull to the bottom of the neck, absorbing the impact of nodding on the brain—a feature also found in long-distance runners like dogs and horses, but not in cats. Did these long-distance-running adaptations provide an early evolutionary advantage? Researchers believe early humans migrating across the hot, vast African savannas favored walking and jogging over sprinting. This increased their chances of finding animal carcasses. Before inventing spears and bows, they resorted to short bursts of speed to hunt. Today’s people sweating it out on treadmills prove that humans are among the most successful and well-adapted long-distance runners.